At the 20th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles
(ESV) held in Lyon, France, two Honda development engineers were recognized
for their extensive contributions to improving vehicle safety by being chosen
as recipients of a United States Government Award for Safety Engineering Excellence.

Honda motorcycle engineer Satoshi Iijima was honored for his extensive efforts
of over 30 years in the research of motorcycle crash safety, and the development
of new motorcycle safety devices, highlighted by the launch of Honda's specialized
airbag system for motorcycles. Mr. Iijima's team began their fundamental research
into motorcycle airbag systems in 1990. His research findings on motorcycle
airbag technologies have been presented at international conferences such as
ESV on many occasions, and his dedicated efforts have made a large contribution
to the enhancement and improvement of motorcycle technologies related to the
crash safety field.

The highly advanced motorcycle airbag system for which Mr. Iijima was recognized
was introduced for the first time ever on a production motorcycle in 2006, and
integrated into Honda's flagship luxury touring model, the GL1800 Gold Wing.
Already renowned for offering the very latest and finest in comfort, convenience
and safety features, the Gold Wing was selected as the first full production
motorcycle to be equipped with Honda's first airbag system, subsequently winning
worldwide recognition and praise for its effective promotion of rider safety.

Concurrently, Honda R&D Americas Senior Engineer, Douglas C. Longhitano
was recognized for his important contribution to automobile safety, particularly
in the area of pedestrian impact protection.

For more than a decade, Longhitano has lead research programs to further the
understanding of pedestrian impacts with SUVs and light trucks in order to help
develop more effective countermeasures against injury, and which have significantly
contributed to advances in traffic safety.

ESV is one of the world's leading conferences for discussing vehicle safety
in an event that brings together researchers, engineers and government officials
from all over the world. Beside cars and other road users, it also includes
a dedicated session on motorcycle safety. During the long process of research
and development of the motorcycle airbag system, Honda reported its findings
in various stages at ESV and discussed them with other experts.

The prestigious Award for Safety Engineering Excellence is presented bi-annually
by The United States' National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
the highest federal agency for the prevention and control of traffic accidents
in the United States, in recognition and appreciation of extraordinary contributions
in the field of vehicle safety technology.

Honda is the only company this year to win this esteemed recognition in both
automobile and motorcycle safety fields. This year's ESV conference also featured
safety-related presentations and papers by no fewer than eight other Honda Associates,
covering important research findings such as collision stresses on expectant
mothers, pedestrian impact kinematics and innovative lighting systems to improve
motorcycle conspicuity. Honda plays a prominent role in the advancement of many
aspects of vehicle safety, and the proven results of our efforts frequently
find their way to production vehicles, whether car or motorcycle.